Moriah 2: Coming of Age
by Joni Latham
Summary: Moriah comes into her own as a full-fledged vampire.


MORIAH: COMING OF AGE By: Joni Latham  
  
CHAPTER 1  
  
Moriah yawned and stretched out on the ledge of the building as she watched the humans walking on the sidewalks below. She was in the habit of spending several nights a week perched atop a different building around the city, watching these poor souls walk through their mundane lives. When she saw the need, she would soar down to their defense, protecting them from harm. She was glad that she was no longer a member of the species that she had adopted as her children. As a vampire, she was more content and happier than she had ever been in her life as a human. She enjoyed her vampire powers and the freedoms that they afforded her. Most of all, she had found the love of her life and was very happy with the cards that fate had dealt her. She sighed contentedly and continued to stare at the streets and sidewalks below.  
Two hours before dawn as she lay on the ledge and watched the proceedings below, she felt the tingling sensations that informed her that her brother, Nick, was somewhere close. They considered themselves siblings, because they were both brought across by the same vampire master, LaCroix.  
Nick landed on the roof behind her and walked up, then sat on the ledge beside her. A smile crept across his face as he looked down at her stretched out on the ledge. She was such a refreshing breath of light in the dark world of vampires. A light that he did not want to see extinguished. He would do what he had to do to ensure that did not happen; hence, his visit to her now.  
"Hi, Nick," she said, lifting her head and looking at him. "What are you doing here?"  
Nick kissed her cheek. "I came by to check on you. I cannot believe that you actually come out in the evenings and watch over the humans," he said, shaking his head. "We are the only two vampires that I know who care what happens to the humans. I know why I do it. I became a cop to try to redeem myself for all the lives that I have taken. But you have never taken a human life. Why do you do it?"  
Moriah smiled. "I have special talents, and I believe in using my talents to the best of my abilities. I don't lack for anything in my life. Lucien gives me everything that I need, so why not help the humans. It gives me a purpose and they deserve it."  
He shook his head. "You never cease to amaze me. I interfered in your relationship with LaCroix when you were human. My interference resulted in you running off to Texas where you were pursued by the red-neck vampires, I believe you call them. To save you from them, LaCroix brought you across and you still forgave me. I can't believe that I was ever against you being with him."  
She stared at him. "You just didn't see the side of him that I did. I always meant to ask, how you found out about us?"  
"Well, I saw you leave a concert with him one night. I couldn't believe that you were with him after my warning, so I followed you for several nights just to be sure."  
"Then, you decided to make my life hell," she said, shaking her head. "Oh well, that's in the past now. This is not just a social visit, is it? There is something wrong, isn't there?"  
He hesitated. "Well, I came to tell you about a situation that has a risen which I feel that you should be made aware. I don't think that LaCroix has any intention of telling you, so I guess it's up to me."  
Moriah stared into his eyes. "This sounds serious. Why won't he tell me?"  
"It is serious, very serious. He feels that he is protecting you. I, on the other hand, feel that you can't be protected if you are oblivious to the situation."  
"Well, Nick, what is it?" Moriah demanded.  
"Do you know much about LaCroix as a human and his own cross over?"  
She shook her head. "No, we never discuss his past."  
"LaCroix has a daughter or at least, he recognizes her as his daughter. Her name is Divia and not only is she his daughter, but she is also his master."  
A disgusted look crossed Moriah's face. "You mean that she brought her own father across. Nick, that sounds a little sick."  
Nick smiled weakly. "That is something that we both agree on, but you haven't heard the half of it yet. Their relationship has always been very volatile. Eventually, LaCroix betrayed Divia and she has never forgiven him. When he realized how demented she was, he sealed her in a tomb for eternity, but some fool released her. I never understood why she didn't destroy him if she was so angry with him. I have always thought that she loved him in her own twisted way. Now I know that to be true."  
"Why?"  
"She has returned to make him her lover."  
Moriah shuttered. "Nick, this is getting sicker."  
"I know," he said, quietly. "Anyway, LaCroix turned her down. He wouldn't tell her why he wouldn't do it, because he didn't want her to know about you. She was livid." He paused. "I cannot believe how much he cares for you and wants to protect you."  
"Well, go on," Moriah urged. "What happened?"  
"Day before yesterday, we started finding vampire corpses around town. Divia is killing all of LaCroix's known associates. She is starting with the ones that are mere acquaintances and working her way towards his closest associates. If she finds out about you, she will kill you last as his ultimate punishment."  
"She won't take my head that easy."  
"She attempted to kill Vachon last night."  
"No!" Moriah cried. "You said attempted, he is all right, isn't he? He never bothers anyone."  
Nick took her hand in his. "Yes, he is fine, just a little shaken. She doesn't care what sort of person you are. In a way, she is much worse than LaCroix. I'm telling you this, because I want you to be careful. I don't want to lose you. I like having a little sister, a real little sister."  
"I'll be careful, but she won't take me without a fight."  
"I don't doubt that one bit, but for LaCroix's sake and mine, would you please stay in the club or your apartment until this situation is resolved?"  
"I will try, but you know me, I can't stay cooped up for long."  
He touched her cheek. "If you have to be out, wait for LaCroix or call me."  
Moriah kissed Nick's cheek. "I will try," she promised.  
Nick stood. "I have to go back on duty," he said. "I will see you later. Please be careful."  
"Nick, you should be careful, too. She'll come after you, too, you know," Moriah said, standing up and touching his cheek.  
"I will," he said, flying away.  
After Nick left, she sat back on the ledge and stared at the sidewalk below, thinking about Nick's message. She never knew that LaCroix had a daughter, because they never discussed his past. The fear of making moral judgments kept her curiosity in check when it came to his past. She knew that he had been very evil, he was the "vampire's vampire." She did not need or want to know the details, because she was perfectly happy living with LaCroix, and his past did not matter. She wondered how much time she had before Divia discovered her existence and came for her. Asking LaCroix was out of the question, because she did not want to cause Nick any trouble. He obviously did not want her know, and if she asked him, she would have to admit that Nick told her, then he would be angry with Nick. She became so lost in her thoughts that she was not doing the humans any good, so she decided to go home.  
She flew to the apartment that she shared with LaCroix. It was located over THE RAVEN, an exclusive club for vampires, owned and operated by LaCroix. She knew that he would be in the CERK radio booth in a corner of the club, broadcasting the Nightcrawler program, so she would have the apartment to herself for a while. Not wanting to run the risk of encountering him, she entered through the back of the club and walked up the stairs to the apartment. Once inside, she built a fire in the fireplace, then poured herself a glass of blood from a bottle in the refrigerator. She curled up on the sofa with her glass and watched the flames, licking against the top of the chamber.  
Moriah was not scared. Death did not scare her. Her concern was more for LaCroix and Nick, than herself. Before he had met her, LaCroix had a reputation of being purely evil and nasty. It had been a long time since he had known peace and contentment and Moriah had brought him that. She worried that if something happened to her, he would revert back to his nasty old self. She would do anything to prevent that from happening. For now, she would keep the fact that she knew about Divia to herself and hoped that he would see fit to tell her on his own.  
She was still deep in thought when LaCroix entered the room. He stopped and stared at her. She was sipping the blood in her glass. He knew that she did not like the taste of blood and always drank it all at once.  
"Moriah, do you realize that you are sipping from your glass as if it were a soda?" he asked. "Is something wrong?"  
She had not realized that she was sipping the blood until he called her attention to it. Now that she was aware of what she was doing, she downed the rest of the glass rapidly and set it on the table. "Was I really? I suppose that I'm getting use to it. There is nothing wrong," she answered, shaking her head. "I was just thinking."  
"Oh," he said, leaning against the mantel. He knew her well enough to know when something was wrong, but he also knew not to push the matter.  
"Lucien, come here for a moment, please."  
As LaCroix walked across the room towards her, Moriah rose from the sofa. When he reached her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him with every ounce of her being. After he first brought her across, it took him a while, but he finally became accustomed to Moriah hugging him. Now he had no trouble with her hugging him and he even hugged her back.  
"There is something wrong," he said, running his hands up and down her back. "You have never hugged me like this before."  
Moriah ran her hand across his cheek. "I was just thinking about what my existence would be like without you. I didn't like the picture, not one bit."  
LaCroix arched his eyebrow, because he did not believe her. There was definitely something wrong. He wondered if she knew about Divia and if she did, how did she find out about her. Suddenly, the answer was obvious, Nick. He wanted to say something to her, but then he would have to spend many few hours explaining, so he decided against it.  
"It is almost sunrise, Little One," he said, placing his arm around her shoulders. "Ready to lie down for a while?"  
She gazed into his eyes and whispered, "Only if you are lying beside me."  
He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "Yes, I will be beside you. I cannot rest very well any more unless you are beside me."  
He placed his arm around her shoulders, then they walked down the hall to Moriah's room. She walked into her room while he walked across the hall to his. As she slipped out of her clothes, she debated saying something to him about Divia, but eventually decided against it. She pulled back the covers and lay down with her back to the door. The situation was definitely not to her liking at all. What would she ever do if she lost him?  
In his room, LaCroix slowly changed his clothes and thought about his conversation with his daughter. His first thought when she announced that she wanted him for her lover, was to turn her down and he had done just that. Now, he was not so sure. She would eventually find out about Moriah, and he would do anything to protect her. He would not be able to live with himself if he was the cause of her demise. There was nothing that he could do about it now. He had to wait until the sun set, so he finished putting on his robe and walked across the hall to join her.  
He walked in to find her already lying in bed with her back to him. He slipped in beside her and wrapped his arms around her. Thinking about Divia and the trouble that she could cause, made Moriah very uneasy. She rolled over and laid her head on his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around him. Now, she really concerned him, but he still could not bring himself to ask her if she knew about Divia, not yet. Instead, he tightened his arms around her and closed his eyes.  
Moriah never had the chance to tell LaCroix that she knew about Divia, nor did he have the chance to tell her about Divia or her threat, because Divia took matters into her own hands.  
  
CHAPTER 2  
The next evening, Moriah flew out as usual to watch over her humans. She felt fairly safe. She thought that Divia would not have had sufficient time to discover her existence. Since LaCroix did not try to stop her, he apparently was not overly concerned about her being out alone either. Frankly, she did not care whether Divia was waiting for her or not. She did not want to spend the rest of eternity, avoiding Divia. She would do what she wanted to do and deal with her when she had to do so. Moriah had grown up a great deal since her cross over and was slowly coming of age as a full-fledged vampire. She knew that she could protect herself against most vampires and those that she could not, LaCroix intervened on her behalf. Over the years, she had lost her fear of the more powerful vampires. She stood her ground against most of them, and Divia would be no exception. If she could save herself, so be it. If Divia took her head, then at least she went down fighting.  
Moriah flew to the tallest building in town and sat on the ledge, dangling her feet over the edge. The humans walked back and forth on the sidewalk below. Three hours past and nothing unusual happened. She rose from the ledge and was preparing to leave when she started receiving the strangest tingling in her head. The tingle was different from any that she had ever received before; it was stronger and more violent. It was definitely not LaCroix or Nick. She looked around her for the source of the tingle. Something drew her attention to the roof of a building to her left. On the roof, she saw a small female figure standing, her long blonde hair blowing in the wind. The woman looked directly at her and she felt the woman's stare burn into her. The force and the depth of the tingling could only mean one thing -- the woman was related to Moriah. The only conclusion that she could draw, was that this was Divia.  
Divia stood on the other building, watching Moriah. "So this was her father's new fledgling," she thought. She did not see anything so special about her. There was nothing that she saw to cause her father to accept her offer to leave with her if she left this one alone.  
Moriah stood on the edge of the building and watched Divia watch her. Eventually, Divia flew towards Moriah and landed in the center of the building. When she landed, Moriah saw that she was just a child, not more than fourteen years old. She knew enough to know that Divia was an old vampire and therefore very powerful. She did have the advantage of being an adult and being physically larger, but not much larger. The more she stared at Divia, the more she realized that she may look like a child, but she had the face and bearing of a woman much older than even Moriah was.  
Once when Divia moved, Moriah caught a glimpse of something shiny in her hand. She stepped off the ledge and moved away from the edge of the building. As she neared Divia, she discovered that the gleam belonged to a sword. She could not decide whether she wanted to run or confront Divia. She decided that she was going to have to face her eventually, so why not now.  
Moriah took a step forward. "You must be Divia," she said.  
Divia stared at her and said, "And you must be my father's new fledging."  
"Yes. I am Moriah."  
Divia looked amused. "Well, Moriah, what is so special about you that Lucius and Nicolas feel the need to protect you?"  
Moriah looked confused for a moment until she realized that Lucius was her Lucien. She stared straight into Divia's eyes. "I don't know. Ask them?"  
"I did, but they are not saying anything."  
Moriah looked down at the sword. "If you are here to take my head, you'll find that I won't make it easy for you."  
Divia smiled wickedly. "I had not planned on it, yet."  
"Then, why the sword?"  
"Just in case, I changed my mind." Divia paused for a moment. She stared into Moriah's eyes, then she said, "Guess what? I have changed my mind."  
Divia swung the sword at Moriah, but was shocked when she leapt out of its path. She stared at Moriah, then swung the sword again. Once again, Moriah leapt out of its path.  
"Would you hold still, so that I can take your head?" Divia complained.  
"I don't think so," Moriah said. "I told you taking my head wouldn't be easy. I may not be as strong as you, but I can stay out of your way."  
Divia did not give up easily either, she swung the sword again and again, but each time Moriah leapt out of its way. Moriah had finally had enough and shot up into the air, then dove towards Divia. She knew that Divia was stronger in vampire powers than she was, but she was a little bigger and a little faster, she hoped. She could fly fast, very fast. LaCroix had once commented she was one of the fastest that he had even seen and that she enjoyed flying more than anyone he knew. Before Divia knew what had happened, Moriah grabbed the sword from her hands as she passed by her. She landed on the edge of the roof opposite Divia. Holding the sword in front of her, she rested the tip on the rooftop.  
Divia stared at her. "Something is wrong. I cannot bring you under my control."  
Moriah cocked her head to one side. "There's nothing wrong. I have never been under anyone's control."  
"Not even Lucius'?"  
"No. To tell you the truth, he has never tried."  
Moriah felt LaCroix approaching and awaited his arrival. In a few seconds, he had landed on the ledge behind her. "Moriah, are you all right?" he asked.  
"Who has possession of Divia's sword?" she replied, with a hint of laughter to her voice.  
He looked over her shoulder. "You do, I see."  
"Of course."  
Divia took a few steps towards them. "Lucius, what have you done? I cannot control your fledgling."  
He shrugged his shoulders and set his hands on Moriah's shoulders. "Neither can I, but then again, I have never wanted to do so. I like her just the way she is. Besides, you said, that if I went away with you, you would leave her alone."  
Moriah tightened her grip on the sword and jerked away from LaCroix. She quickly stepped far away from both of them. "You what?" she yelled. "How could you?"  
LaCroix took a step towards her, but the look on her face made him stop. "Moriah, calm down. Divia agreed to leave you alone if I went with her."  
"Well Lucien, you can see how well she keeps her promises," Moriah said, holding up the sword. "I would rather lose my head than have you go with her."  
"I was only trying to keep you alive."  
"Why? I would rather have my head chopped off now, then die one day at a time."  
"What are you talking about?" LaCroix asked quietly.  
"I was of the understanding when I was brought across that we would be together forever. Now you are leaving me to be your daughter's lover. She is your daughter and just a child, Lucien. She may not act like one, but she is still just a child. That is sick, really sick. I know that vampires have different morals than humans, but mine are still very much human. I know that I have asked this before, but what had you planned on doing with me?  
Taking another step towards her, he said, "Well, I had not thought that far ahead. I just wanted to stop her from harming you."  
He tried to touch her, but she jerked away. "Don't touch me, Lucien. Don't even come near me." Moriah was now the angriest that she had ever been. "Well, you better think about it. If you thought that I would wait for her to tire of you, you are wrong. Sitting around, knowing that you were with her, would kill me one day at a time. You might as well take this sword, cut my head off now, and save me the suffering," Moriah said, handing the sword towards him. When he did not say anything, she placed the sword back in front of her and said, "If you go with her, I might as well be dead. I would never speak to you, again." She became very quiet for a moment, then said quietly, "I did not accept sharing men as a human and I won't now."  
Divia could not believe what she was hearing. She had never heard anyone speak to LaCroix in this manner. What was stranger was that he was accepting the lecture that his fledgling was giving him, and he really seemed to care for her.  
"Never speak to me again?" he questioned.  
"Never," she stressed. "And that is a long time when you are around for eternity. I can't even believe that you agreed to it. This is one sick situation. She brings her own father across, then she wants him for her lover. I believe they call that incest," Moriah said, shuddering.  
Divia interrupted. "Where did you find this one? A vampire with morals."  
"Shut up, Divia," LaCroix barked, then he turned to Moriah. "Moriah, you would really leave me?"  
"Remember, I said that I could never hate you. Well, I was wrong. I am so full of hate right now, that I can't stand it. I hate her for putting us in this situation, I hate you for agreeing to leave with her, and I hate myself for being the reason that you agreed. You're going do things with her that you refuse to do with me. I went through this once as a human and I will not go through it again."  
Moriah looked at Divia and LaCroix and shook her head, then she threw the sword on the rooftop at Divia's feet. "Here. If you want my head, take it. I will gladly give it up before I lose another man whom I love to someone like you. My life would be over anyway. I would not want to go on. I just want you both to remember how sick this situation is and that I died before I allowed him to prostitute himself to you."  
LaCroix stood frozen, he did not know what to do. She was actually sacrificing herself for him. He watched Divia pick up the sword and hold it in front of her. Moriah stood in front of Divia and they stared at each other. During the whole episode, LaCroix stood silently, watching them. Finally, Moriah, tiring of the stalemate and the situation, decided to put an end to it. Divia was not going to give in and LaCroix was doing nothing to help her. She backed up a few steps looked at LaCroix, then at Divia.  
"Well, is anyone going to say anything?" she demanded. After a few moments of silence, Moriah yelled, "Forget it! This is too much for me. It is one of the sickest situation that I have ever been in. If this is usual vampire behavior, then I guess that I am not a real vampire." She walked to the edge of the building, then turned around. "Lucien, go with her if you want, but I won't be in the apartment when you return."  
When she finished speaking, LaCroix reached over to place his hand on her shoulder. She glared at him and shoved him away from her. She shoved him so hard that he fell backwards onto the rooftop. Moriah stood looking down at him for a few moments before she shot up into the darkness.  
After Moriah left, LaCroix picked himself up and dusted his clothes. He stared at Divia. Why could she not have left him alone? After many years, he finally found a little piece of happiness with Moriah, then she arrived to take it away. At this moment if he could do it, he would have torn her to pieces. She had caused him to hurt the one important vampire in his life, but then that was her goal, to make his life miserable.  
"Father," Divia said, walking towards him. "What has she done to you? You would never allow anyone to treat you that way."  
LaCroix remained silent. He was afraid to say anything. He was afraid that he might try to attack Divia and that would be a big mistake on his part.  
"What is so special about her? I can give you everything that she can and more," she said, reaching up to touch him.  
LaCroix grabbed her wrist, holding it tightly in his hand. "Do not come near me and do not touch me. There is no way that you or any existing vampire can take Moriah's place. The rest of you cannot hold a candle to her."  
Divia pulled her hand free from LaCroix's grip, stepping back from him. "What has happened to you? You have become soft, I have never seen you act this weak before."  
"I am not weak, Divia. I am probably stronger than I have ever been. I have found someone again who actually likes me, the rest of you do not; you tolerate me."  
"I am your master and your daughter. You have a very strong connection to me," Divia said with an evil smile.  
"Forget it, Divia. It will not work. Moriah is right, this is a sick situation. I was wrong to agree to your deal, I see that now. I have to go. I have to see if I can repair the damage, that I have done," LaCroix said before he flew away.  
Divia watched him fly into the night and the evil smile on her face widened. She had not finished with him or his little fledgling yet.  
  
CHAPTER 3  
As promised, Moriah was not in the apartment when LaCroix returned. She flew to the apartment and packed a few things, then left before he returned home. She did not know where to go. THE RAVEN was the only home that she had known since LaCroix brought her across. She finally flew to the top of her favorite building and sat, watching the people below. It was less than an hour before sunrise and the way that Moriah was feeling at the moment; she thought that she might just sit still and watch the sun rise. There was no way that she was going home to the apartment that she shared with LaCroix. She did not want to see him or talk to him. What she wanted was Nick; she needed to talk to him. He would be the one person who would understand what she was going through now.  
She stared out into the darkness and said quietly, "Nick, wherever you are, I need you. I wished that you could hear me."  
She sat on the building, watching the sky grow lighter. She realized that the sun would be up in thirty minutes. Just as she stood up and turned to leave, Nick landed in front of her. When he saw her, he was very worried. She did not have her usual spunk, and she looked very defeated.  
"What are you doing up here so close to sunrise?" he asked.  
She dropped her head. "Did Lucien send you?"  
"No, I felt that you needed me."  
"Oh, Nick, I do," Moriah said softly, wondering about the link between them. "He is going to leave me, Nick. He said that Divia promised not to take my head if he went with her. He told her that he would go with her, but she broke her promise and tried to chop it off, anyway."  
Nick reached over and put his arms around her. "I don't think that he'll go through with it, he cares for you too much." She looked up at him and he could see tears in her eyes. He had never seen a vampire cry before, but Moriah was not your usual vampire. "Don't do anything rash," he said. "Come home with me and take a while to think about it. You can stay as long as you want. I don't want to lose you. I have gotten used to having you around"  
"What about Natalie?"  
Nick smiled. "You know, that you're her best friend. She will be the first one to come stay with you and talk with you if you need someone. All you have to do is call her."  
Looking up at Nick, she saw the concern in his eyes. "All right, Nick, I will come with you, but I won't stay long. I can't believe that this is happening to me again."  
Nick wanted to ask about her last statement, but decided that they needed to find shelter from the sun first. He tightened his arms around her and picked up her bag, then flew her to his apartment.  
Once inside the apartment, he showed her to his bedroom and made her lie down on the bed. He wanted to know what she meant by her statement that this had happened to her before, but she was in no condition to discuss it at the moment. After he was sure that she was comfortable, he made himself a bed on the sofa in the living room. As he lay on the sofa, Nick thought through all the reservations that he had when he first found out about Moriah and LaCroix. He dismissed most of those reservations when he saw just how much LaCroix loved Moriah. It never occurred to him that a situation such as this would arise or that LaCroix would go so far in trying to protect her. However unintentional though, he was hurting her worse, then if he had allowed Divia to take her head. In the middle of his thoughts, Nick finally drifted off to sleep.  
In the other room, Moriah tossed and turned. Like LaCroix, she had trouble resting without him lying beside her. She realized that this was their first separation since they had been together. She wondered if she had been too hard on him, after all he had thought that he was helping her. Did he not understand that she could not stand the thought of him with Divia and how sick the situation was? She had already lost one man to another woman and the situation was very similar to this one. She was not sure whether she would be able to go through it again. It would be better for her if Divia would just take her head and put her out of her misery.  
Sleep finally came to her, but it was a very fitful and unproductive rest. Nick peeked in to check on her several times. When he saw how uncomfortable she was, he wished that there was something that he could do for her. Since he knew that only LaCroix could solve her problem, each time he would close the door and return to the sofa.  
When LaCroix left Divia, he flew to THE RAVEN. As he put his hand on the doorknob, he noticed that the light was peeking over the top of the tallest building. He unlocked the door and ducked inside. Locking the door, he turned and leaned against it, staring into the darkness. He sighed and looked slowly around him. In appeared that Moriah had made good on her word -- he could feel her nowhere in the building. He walked through the darkness towards the bar. The first time that Moriah had left him, she could not take the harassment that she was receiving at Nick's hands. This time it was no one's fault, but his own. It was stupid to accept Divia's offer. He knew that Moriah would not accept such a decision, but he had no idea that her reaction would have been so violent. When he reached the bar, he looked at the barstools around him. The last time that she had left, he had heaved several of the stools across the bar. This time he silently walked upstairs to the empty apartment.  
Pushing the door open, he stepped inside and looked into the emptiness. This was the first time that he and Moriah had been apart since he brought her across. Unlike the last time, Moriah could not travel in the daylight, so she was somewhere in the city, hiding from the sun. The first place that came to his mind was Nick's apartment. As close as she and Nick had become, he was sure that was where he would find her. When the sun went down, LaCroix would go there to try to apologize to her and hope that she would forgive him. In the meantime, all he could do was sit around an empty apartment and wait until evening.  
  
CHAPTER 4  
Evening finally arrived for all the parties involved. While Nick walked into his bedroom with a small glass for Moriah, LaCroix was leaving his apartment for Nick's.  
Nick sat on the edge of the bed. "Moriah," he called softly. "Are you awake?"  
Moriah sat up and leaned against the headboard. "Yes, Nick. I haven't slept much."  
He handed her the glass. "Drink this? You don't want to make yourself sick on top of everything else. I don't have to go to work tonight, I can stay here with you if you would like."  
Moriah took the glass from him. "Thanks, Nick. I would like that. I need to talk to someone."  
He kissed her cheek. "Anytime, Little Sister," he said, standing and walking to the door. At the door, he turned and said, "You clean up and change clothes. I'll want for you in the living room."  
Looking at the glass in her hand, Moriah poured the whole glass of liquid down her throat. She set the glass down and reached for one of the pillows. Hugging the pillow in front of her, she thought through the events of the previous night. It had always been a thought in the back of her mind that one of them might be killed. She never thought that another woman or child, in this case, would come between her and LaCroix. The fact that she was LaCroix's daughter and master made things worse. The sickness of the situation still made Moriah shudder. She shrugged her shoulders and crawled out of bed. Grabbing her bag, she went into Nick's bathroom to clean up and change clothes.  
Nick grabbed the bottle that he had poured Moriah's glass from and plopped down on the sofa. He stared into the fire as he drank from the bottle. His thoughts went back over his own lost loves. He knew only too well the feelings that were going through her. To watch something happen to someone you care for and not be able to stop it, was one of the most horrible things that he had ever experienced. He only hoped that he could help her. A noise, pulled him from his thoughts and he looked up to find Moriah walking towards him.  
He moved over on the sofa. "Come here," he said, patting the cushion beside him. "Are you ready to talk?"  
She pulled hair back behind her shoulders and slowly walked to him. "I suppose so, Nick. I have to tell someone. I have never discussed this with anyone, even when I was human."  
"I feel honored that you chose to talk to me."  
She sat down beside him. "I choose you, Nick, because I know that you would understand. Lucien really needs to be the one to hear this story. He would understand then, why I can't accept any of this or allow him to come back to me when she is tired of him. I haven't told him, because I'm not sure that he would be as sympathetic as you. I need your support, Nick. More than I ever have."  
He reached for her hand. "You have it, you know that. I just want you to be happy. If LaCroix makes you happy and it appears that he does, then I'm all for it."  
She leaned back and prepared to tell her story, but she was interrupted by a tingling sensation -- LaCroix was nearby. There was a soft knock on the door, but Nick hesitated before he stood up to answer it.  
"Do you want to see him?" he asked.  
"Yes, Nick," she answered softly. "He might as well hear this story, then he can make his decision based on it too. You won't leave us unless I ask you to, will you?"  
He kissed her hand. "No, of course not. I'll be back in a moment."  
Nick opened the door halfway and leaned against the frame. "What do want, LaCroix? Haven't you done enough damage?"  
LaCroix stood outside the door and stared at Nick. Any other time, he would have shoved past Nick or entered through the window, but not tonight. Tonight, he needed his fledgling's help. Nick may be able to persuade Moriah to listen to him.  
"Nicolas, Moriah is here."  
"Yes, she is, LaCroix. For some strange reason, she asked me to let you in. She has a story to tell and wants you to hear it. I will allow you to come in, but I do not want her upset again, do you hear me?"  
LaCroix was in no shape to argue with Nick. He just wanted Moriah back in his life, such as it was. "Yes, Nicolas, I understand. Just allow me see her."  
Nick pulled the door open and stepped back. After LaCroix entered, he quickly closed the door and accompanied him into the living room. Moriah rose from the sofa as LaCroix entered the room and backed up towards the fireplace.  
When he took a few steps towards her, she put her hand up and said, "No! Don't come any closer. I don't want you to touch me. Not yet, anyway."  
He stopped dead in tracks and stared at her. "Then, there is still hope?"  
"Yes, there is always hope. I have to explain why I cannot accept this situation. You and Nick will sit and listen to me, then we will discuss this thing, okay?"  
"Yes, Moriah," LaCroix said, taking a seat on the sofa.  
Nick's mouth dropped open. He had never seen LaCroix so subservient before. Moriah definitely had a strange effect on his old master. He walked over and sat on the sofa beside LaCroix.  
"Begin whenever you are ready, Moriah," Nick said.  
Moriah paced in front of the fireplace for a few minutes. Both of the older vampires knew that this simple act meant that she was very nervous and agitated. Finally, she stopped and took a deep breath.  
"Many years ago before either of you knew of my existence, I was supposed to be married. I thought that this man was the love of my life. Well, he was the love of my human life. I would have done anything for Edward, even lay down my life. I was his body and soul." She stopped for a moment when a look of disbelief crept over LaCroix's face.  
"Lucien, you must remember that I was a human and had not met you yet. That is what makes this story so awful. If I reacted the way that I did in this story and I didn't love Edward near as much as I love you, can you imagine how I feel now."  
"Please continue," Nick urged.  
"Anyway, it was only a week from the wedding. I went to have the last fitting of the dress done. When I stepped out of the dress shop, a woman stepped out in front of me. She said that she had to talk me and that it had something to do with the wedding. She was much older than I was and there was something familiar about her. Something that I felt that I should have recognized. I asked if she couldn't talk to me there and she said no, that I was to meet her later at a restaurant. She gave me the address and the time, then left."  
She paused for a moment before continuing. Nick saw that tears were beginning to form in her eyes. He handed her a handkerchief and said, "You don't have to continue unless you want to."  
She looked at him, then at LaCroix. "I have to. I have never told anyone this story and I have to tell someone. It might as well be the two most important people in my life."  
Nick touched her arm. "Well, then take your time. We have all night and all day tomorrow," he said before taking his place back on the sofa.  
Moriah wiped her eyes, then continued, "At the time I had no reason to be suspicious, so I went to the restaurant at the designated time and she was there waiting for me. When I saw her at the table, it dawned on that she looked a lot like Edward. Things went along fine for the first fifteen minutes or so after I sat down, then she informed me that she was Edward's mother. I couldn't believe it, because he had told me that his mother was dead and I told her so. She said that she was indeed his mother and this is the bad part, his lover. I almost died right there in the restaurant. She said that the wedding could not take place and if it did, nothing would change between them. I couldn't handle it and ran from the restaurant."  
LaCroix still had not said a word. Nick shook his head and said, "No wonder Divia upsets you so much. Well, what happened?"  
Moriah sniffed and wiped her eyes again. "I went and asked Edward about what she had told me. He said that it was true, but that he wanted to marry me. When I told him that I would not put up with a relationship such as that. He promised that he would put an end to it before the wedding. I believed him and went home, thinking that all was well. He told her all right, but she would not accept the break up anymore than I would accept it existence. She sent some men to see me and they beat me almost to the point of death. I was found by a policeman who took me to the hospital. The worst part was that Edward never came to see me or even called to see if I was all right. If it hadn't been for that sympathetic policeman who found me, I would have been all alone. He came by everyday to check on me until I was released several weeks later." She smiled at Nick and said, "That's when I decided to become a police officer. If I could be there for someone the way that he was for me, then I would have accomplished something."  
Nick smiled softly. "Well, what happened?"  
"The officer kept a close eye on me for weeks after I was released. They could never prove that Edward's mother had anything to do with the attack and he was afraid that she would try again. She did try again, but this time they were ready and caught her before she could hurt me. After she was taken away, Edward came by to see me, but by that time I couldn't stand the sight of him. I have never had a serious relationship since then. That is until I found you, Lucien."  
Moriah sat on the edge of the hearth and picked up one of Nick's floor pillows, hugging it to her chest. Nick moved over to the hearth and sat beside her.  
He laid his arm around her, and she laid her head on his shoulder. Nick smoothed her hair, as he talked. "No wonder LaCroix's deal with Divia devastated you so much. I am sorry. I never knew that something like that had happened to you. You are always so bubbly and full of life. Even though you are a vampire, you are still a happy-go-lucky type."  
LaCroix had not uttered a word through her whole story and still remained silent. He stared ahead at the fireplace with an intense look on his face.  
Moriah hugged the pillow even closer to her. "Lucien," she called softly. "Lucien, don't you have anything to say?"  
He looked over at her and his gaze softened. "I came to apologize," he said softly, then his voice hardened. "But, after that story, I would prefer to pay a certain man and his mother a little nighttime visit."  
"Lucien, I appreciate the sentiment, but that is in the past or was until Divia arrived. I could've exacted my own revenge since becoming a vampire, but I never thought it was worth the trouble. I had you and I didn't care about anyone else."  
His gaze softened again. "Moriah, I was wrong, very wrong. When Divia offered me her deal, all I could think of was keeping you safe. I did not think how you would feel afterwards, and I also did not think that she would attack you anyway."  
Moriah sat silently, looking at him.  
He sighed. "I had no idea that you had already been through hell once and that I was putting you through it again. Of course, that is no excuse. I should have never tried to orchestrate a deal with her."  
LaCroix stared at her as he motioned for her to come to him. She hesitated for a moment, then pulled herself free from Nick. Still hugging the pillow, she slowly walked over and stood in front of LaCroix while Nick watched. He was very uncomfortable with Nick there, but Moriah insisted that he be present. If he wanted to talk to her, he would have to do it in front of Nick.  
"Yes, My Love," she said quietly.  
"I am not going with her, Little One," he whispered.  
Nick had a wide grin on face. He loved seeing this vulnerable side of LaCroix.  
LaCroix jerked his head up and glared at Nick. "Not a word from you, Nicolas. Sit there and stay quiet."  
If the situation had not been so serious, Nick could have had some fun ribbing LaCroix, but there was Moriah to consider. He decided to remain quiet and allow them to try to work this out between them.  
LaCroix looked back up at Moriah. "There is no way that I could ever leave you. When I returned to an empty apartment, I knew that there was no way that I could exist without you for even a day."  
Moriah remained silent and hugged the pillow closer. LaCroix waited for a few minutes to see if she would say anything.  
Finally, Moriah said softly, "I am not a real vampire."  
Lifting himself up so that he was closer to her, he asked, "What makes you say that? I brought you across myself."  
"I can't behave like you and the others. I can't put my human side away and pretend that it never existed."  
"Who is asking you to do that?" he said, reaching for her hand. "I like your human side. It is that side that allows you to retain the light inside you."  
"You asked me when you agreed to go with her. How can I be sure that you really love me and are not keeping me around for convenience sake. You won't even make me your lover."  
He forgot about Nick being in the room or at least he did not care any longer. He had to convince her and convince her quickly before he lost her. He would deal with Nick after the situation was solved.  
"I am sorry," he whispered, pulling her down into his lap. "I would never purposely cause you any pain. I love you," he whispered, placing his lips on hers.  
Moriah and Nick were stunned at the emotion in his voice. She dropped the pillow and wrapped her arms around his neck. If his words had not convince her, his lips did. He kissed her long and passionately, only stopping when their fangs began to appear.  
Moriah lay back against his arm to catch her breath. She was convinced, but she was not ready to allow him to know that yet. She had to make certain that all deals with Divia were off and that they would face her together.  
"No more deals with Divia?" she questioned.  
"No more deals with Divia," he answered. "We face her together, the two of us."  
Nick finally spoke. "No," he said. "The three of us. It will take the three of us. Moriah is still just a baby compared to Divia."  
Moriah stood up and stared at Nick. She could not believe that he did not take this long awaited opportunity to harass LaCroix. Actually, Nick was a little surprised himself, but there would be plenty of time to harass him after they dealt with Divia. Right now, Moriah's safety, as well as the other vampire's were at stake.  
A self-satisfied look crossed LaCroix's face. As much as he hated to admit it and he would only admit it to Moriah, he liked having an atmosphere of family around him. One of the things that her cross-over had brought him was Nick. Her relationship with Nick had brought him back to LaCroix and that pleased him very much. He looked toward the windows and noticed that the sun had risen. He sighed, because he had hoped to be back at their apartment before the sunrise.  
Looking uncomfortable, he said, "Well, it looks as if we are your house guests for the day, Nicolas. I hope that it will not be too uncomfortable for you to be locked up with me all day."  
Nick looked up at Moriah and knew that she and LaCroix still had a lot of talking to do. "No, LaCroix. I won't be uncomfortable. I doubt that I will see you. I think that you and Moriah still have a lot to discuss, don't you?" He looked up at Moriah who walked over to the fireplace and poked at the fire.  
"Yes, Nicolas. I think that we do," LaCroix answered.  
Nick rose from the hearth and walked towards his bedroom door. "I think that I will lie down unless you would like to sleep for a while, Moriah? I know that you didn't rest much yesterday."  
She looked up from the fire and smiled at him. "No, Nick. You go ahead. I have kicked you out of your bed long enough. If I want to lie down, I'll use the sofa."  
He smiled. "All right. You know where everything is," he said, closing the door.  
Moriah and LaCroix sat in silence for a long while. She sat, playing with the fire and he sat, watching her play with the fire.  
Finally, LaCroix broke the silence. "Moriah. Little One, are you still angry with me?" he asked, standing and walking over to the fireplace.  
He sat on the hearth next to her, but she did not lift her head. "Lucien," she said softly. "I don't know what I am. I am not angry, at least not with you." She reached over and caressed his check. "I guess that I am disappointed and a little hurt that you didn't trust me enough to tell me about Divia when she first arrived. Also, the fact that you thought that I would accept such a decision when I have been asking you to make me your lover."  
He grabbed her hand, holding it tightly in his, then with his other hand, lifted her face to his. "I do trust you. I am just so new at having a relationship again that sometimes I am so afraid of losing you that I do things without thinking them through. I really had not thought about how you would react to my going away with Divia. I just wanted to keep her away from you. I did not want her evil to defile your innocence and now, it is too late."  
She moved across the hearth and knelt in front of him, holding his hands. "I am fine," she insisted. "No one has besmirch my 'innocence' as you call it. She did nothing to me. Now, if I didn't possess a greater speed than she, she might have done some damage. Unlike the others that she has killed, I know that she's coming thanks to Nick."  
"I should have told you. I am sorry about that. No more trying to protect you by not telling you things." He paused, then whispered, "I will make you my lover when I feel that you are ready."  
"All right, Lucien," she said quietly. "I feel that I am ready now, but I will leave the decision to you." She sighed. "For now, what can you tell me about Divia that might help me."  
"She is old and powerful. She is as full of evil as you are of goodness. Whatever you do, do not let her touch you or allow her near enough to bite you. Use your speed to stay out of her reach. She is very dangerous. The advantage that you have is your human side. Your human side is far more dangerous than your vampire side, even more dangerous than my vampire side."  
"I will remember," she promised. "Lucien, may I ask you something that you may have taught me and I have forgotten?"  
"Of course. I would like to think that after tonight we can talk about anything. What do you wish to know?"  
"I want to ask about the vampire link between families of vampires. Can it facilitate a sort of communication link?"  
"Why do you ask?"  
"Last night, I thought about how much I needed Nick and came to me. Earlier that evening, you showed up on the rooftop when I needed help with Divia. Why did you come to me?"  
"I felt that you needed me. I cannot answer your question though, because that has never happened to be before."  
Relief swept through Moriah when she realized that both of their arrivals were not coincidences. She smiled up at him and noticed that his face looked worn and haggard.  
"You can't sleep well when we are apart either, can you?" she asked, touching his cheek. He shook his head, then she asked, "Have you even eaten?"  
"Yes, I have."  
"Good," she said, standing and pulling him to his feet. "Come with me."  
At the moment LaCroix was in worse shape than she. She made him lie down on the sofa, then she covered him with a quilt. Moriah was not really sleepy and her brain was churning, so she sat on the floor and leaned against the sofa. He turned on his side and reached over, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. In a few minutes his breathing slowed.  
As she watched him sleep, she turned over his relationship with Divia in her mind. Whenever LaCroix spoke of her, there was such disgust and disdain in his voice that she knew that she had nothing to fear. It was the fact that he had agreed to go with Divia without consulting her that had aggravated her so much. His eyes told her that he loved her as did his lips and she did trust him. Actually, she trusted him and Nick more than she had ever trusted any humans. She wanted this thing to be over so that their lives could return to normal. Sleep began to descend on her, but she did not want to fall asleep on the floor. She climbed to her knees and slipped under the quilt beside LaCroix. His arms instinctively wrapped around her and held her close to him. She crossed her arms over his and closed her eyes. When Nick walked out to check on them later, he saw that all appeared to be right between them, so he returned to his room.  
  
CHAPTER 5  
When dark came, Moriah and LaCroix returned to their apartment. Over the next few days they talked and answered each others questions. By the end of the third day, Moriah was totally comfortable with their relationship and secure in the knowledge that they belonged to each other.  
Over those three days while they were talking, there was no word from Divia. Her silence was cause of great concern for them and Nick. They knew that she was still in the city and that it was a matter of time before she moved against them. The tension caused them to jump at the least noise or shadow.  
One evening, four days after her first encounter with Divia, Moriah and LaCroix were sitting on a roof, looking out over the city. He was sitting on the top of a chimney with Moriah sitting between his legs and leaning back against him. The sky was clear and all the stars were shining brightly.  
"It is such a beautiful night. It's hard to believe that something as evil as Divia could exist on such a night," Moriah commented, pulling her knees up to her chest.  
"But she does, Little One," he remarked quietly, hugging her close.  
"I know."  
Their quiet was suddenly interrupted by a crashing sound and someone falling on the rooftop behind them. Moriah jumped up and turned around to find Nick stumbling towards them. He managed to make it almost to them before falling again in front of her. She ran to him as LaCroix rose to follow her. Nick looked horrible. He was in total disarray. His clothes were disheveled, his hair was a mess, and he was dirty. When he looked up at her, she saw that he was totally vamped-out.  
When she reached over to touch him, he yelled, "Stay away! Don't touch me!"  
Moriah jumped back at the force of his words. When he turned his head, she saw two puncture marks on the side of his neck. She jerked her head around and looked to LaCroix for confirmation.  
He nodded his head. "Divia has bitten him. She has mixed some of her tainted blood with his. It will usually cause a vampire to go insane from all the evil inside them."  
"No!" she shouted. "Not Nick. I won't let it happen."  
"You cannot stop it." LaCroix said, shaking his head. "The only release is death."  
She grabbed Nick's lapels. "I may not be able to stop it, but Nick can. He has been fighting the evil that you placed inside him for centuries. He CAN fight this. I know he can." She turned to Nick and shook him. "Do you hear me Nick? Fight! I won't allow her to have you. Either of you. I have already lost once and I will not lose again."  
While Moriah tended to Nick, LaCroix stepped back and watched her. He had to admire her. She had more guts and more resolve than anyone he had ever known.  
Moriah talked to Nick and reminded him of all the good things that he had done over the years. As she talked, LaCroix noticed Nick's posture begin to straighten. It was working. He was fighting off Divia's influence. She put her hands on Nick's face and lifted it up towards hers. The glow in his eyes was fading and his fangs were almost gone. She smiled at him and he was able to give her a small smile back.  
Moriah was so busy with Nick that she did not notice a shadow land behind LaCroix. As she dealt with Nick, LaCroix turned to face his daughter.  
"Well, Divia, as you can see. You did not succeed with Nicolas," he taunted.  
At the sound of his voice, Moriah jerked her head around towards him. When she saw Divia, she stiffened. Nick lifted his hand and dropped something to the roof, then reached out and grabbed her arm.  
"No," he said. "Stay here. Look what she did to me and I am much stronger than you."  
"But, Nick I don't have any evil in me," she answered.  
"It doesn't matter. Stay here. Let LaCroix handle it." He paused for a moment, then said, "I need you anyway. Help me stand up."  
Moriah reached down to grabbed his other arm and touched the object that he had dropped. She picked it up and held it in front of him. It was a stake about three feet long.  
"Nick, what is this?" she demanded.  
"I brought it to ask LaCroix or you to stake me if the need arose."  
She shook her head. "Nick."  
She shoved the stake under her arm and put her hands under his arm. Using her to steady himself, he managed to stand. She supported him as they moved over to a chimney where he was able to sit and regain his strength. She tried to walk away from him, but he grabbed her and held her tight.  
"No!" he ordered.  
She settled back against the chimney, playing with the stake in her hand while she watched LaCroix and Divia very carefully. Divia stepped towards LaCroix and he took a step back. He glanced back at Moriah and saw that she had Nick up and sitting. They both appeared to be all right, so he turned his attention to Divia.  
Divia laughed. "So, Nicolas fought off my evil. No big surprise, really. All of us know that he has been trying to redeem himself and reclaim his mortality. Now, your little fledgling over there is a different matter. I could dispose of her quite easily. Without her here, you would be mine."  
He arched his eyebrow. "No, Divia. Even without the existence of Moriah, I would never be yours. Why can you not understand that?"  
She reached up and touched his check. "But, Lucius, we have so much in common. We would be good together."  
Moriah shook her head and whispered to Nick, "How did a fourteen year old become so worldly and so hard. She seems much older than me."  
He leaned towards her and whispered in her ear. "She grew up on the streets, so she grew up fast. Believe me, she IS definitely older than you. Now, listen."  
When she turned back around, she saw LaCroix push Divia's hand away. "Divia, do not touch me," he growled. "We have nothing in common, but blood."  
"What has she done to you, Father?" she whispered. "I have never seen you so protective or so moral. I don't understand."  
"And you never will," LaCroix said, staring at her. "It took me a long time to understand, and it is something that you cannot explain to others. Now, that I do understand, you are not taking it away from me."  
"Who is going to stop me, Lucius?" she taunted. "You or maybe, your fledgling?"  
"I would not underestimate Moriah," he said, smiling. "I created her and even I do not know the extent of her powers."  
"Why would you create something that has the potential to equal you?" Divia said, shaking her head. "I still say that you are becoming a weak old man."  
Nick felt Moriah stiffen beside him. The fact that Divia was just a child did not matter to her at the moment. She was older, much older than her appearance. Moriah decided to perceive her as an older woman from that moment forward. All she saw now was the woman that tried to take LaCroix away from her. Although she was trying to stay calm, Divia was slowly making her angry again. Divia could see this also, because Moriah's eyes were glowing a bright green color.  
"Am I upsetting your little fledgling?" Divia taunted.  
"Leave her alone!" he shouted, grabbing her.  
She stared up at her father, who was well over a foot taller than she and not that much younger in vampire years. He was not going to allow her to harm Moriah, so why even try. She had never thought that LaCroix would find a mate, let alone one who would exhibit such loyalty. She also never thought that he would care enough, to put his life on the line for someone else. This was not the man that she knew as her father or had brought across over more than a thousand years ago. Divia did not understand what was happening, but she knew that the source of the problem was Moriah. Suddenly, she did not want her revenge against her father. She wanted Moriah to be the one to suffer. The only way to do that was to take LaCroix away from her, and she knew that that he would not leave of his own accord.  
"If I cannot have you, no one can," Divia hissed. "Least of all, that little holier than thou fledgling. You are too good for her."  
She grabbed LaCroix's hand and removed it from her arm. Stepping towards him, she tried to bring him under her control. As he resisted her influence, he vamped out. He grabbed her arm and pushed her away from him.  
Moriah shook her head to clear it. This was a very serious situation, but she found that his vamped-out state was affecting her rather strangely. She found that it appealed to something deep inside her. She finally focused her attention back on the struggle before her.  
Divia did something next that she would regret. She reached out with her free hand and slapped LaCroix. His eyes as well as Moriah's glowed brighter as he grabbed her other wrist. She struggled against him and pulled herself free. She did not intend to back off now that she started the fight. They struggled with each other on the rooftop with neither one making any ground. They took the battle into the air and it would have lasted for an eternity, had LaCroix not hit one of the chimneys and fell towards a rooftop. As he fell, Divia dove towards him. Moriah knew that he was in trouble, but she was not sure what to do and Nick was not strong enough to be much use to her.  
Divia landed beside him, then knelt down and wrapped her arms around him. LaCroix was still stunned and unaware of what was happening to him. Her head was moving towards his neck. Moriah had to do something, but what? She could not let Divia take him, but she was a much weaker vampire than Divia. As Divia was about to sink her fangs into his neck, Moriah remembered the stake in her hand. She would have to use the speed on which LaCroix always complimented her. She shot up and flew through the air towards them. Before Divia knew that she had left the rooftop, Moriah shove the stake into her back and pushed it all the way through her.  
Divia grabbed the stake where it was protruding from her chest and turned to stare at Moriah. "What the..!" she cried. "Why that little fledgling staked me!."  
Divia staggered backwards while Moriah knelt down next to LaCroix. Moriah wrapped her arms around him and tried to pull him to his feet. Nick was beginning to feel stronger and flew over to help her. They picked LaCroix up from the roof and supported him between them while they watched Divia.  
She staggered backwards a few more steps and slumped against a chimney. Looking down at the stake that was sticking out of her chest, she said, "Lucius, you little fledgling did it. She did her first kill and she did it for you, of all people." Her features soften and she began to take on the characteristics of the little girl that she was. She looked up at LaCroix and whimpered, "Father, help me. I do not want to die."  
LaCroix started to move towards her, but Nick held on to his arm. When he turned to glance at him, Nick shook his head. Nick looked to Moriah for support, but she was having her own personal problems. Feeling that she was in trouble, LaCroix turned his attentions to Moriah and away from Divia.  
Moriah walked over and watched as Divia's body suddenly went limp and her head fell to one side. In death, she looked like the innocent, angelic child that she should have been. Moriah's resolve to view her as a woman disappeared and all she could see was a child with a stake through her.  
Divia's words hit Moriah hard. "Divia's right," she whispered, standing over her body. "I have never killed anyone as a vampire. My first kill is your daughter and your master. Look at her, she's just a child."  
Nick and LaCroix walked over to her and each took one of her arms.  
"Moriah," Nick whispered, holding on to her arm. "It is no different than the criminals you killed when you were a cop. She was a murderer, a criminal, she had to be stopped and you stopped her. You saved me, LaCroix, and countless others."  
Moriah was hearing Nick's words, but they did not mean much. She still had taken a life and a child's at that. She turned and looked up at LaCroix. He knew that she wanted to leave, needed to leave. He thought that he and Nick were strong enough to handle the disposal of Divia's body, so he decided to send her home.  
He tightened his grip on her arm. "Moriah, Little One, you should go home now. You have done more than your share tonight. Nick and I shall attend to the rest of what needs to be done."  
She continued to stare down at Divia, so LaCroix gently pulled her away to the other side of the roof. He turned her around and tilted her face up so that he could stare into her eyes. "Moriah, go home. I will be there in a while. It is all over, she will never bother us or anyone again."  
"But, I killed her."  
"You had to. She was going to kill me and she tried to kill Nicolas. She left you no choice. Luckily for me, you have a speed unequaled by any other vampire that I know. Please, go home and we can talk about this later."  
Moriah looked across the roof at Nick, then back up at LaCroix. She had sworn that she would not be the victim again and she was not. She still had LaCroix and Nick with her, but she was forced to put a stake through someone to keep them. What a horrible way for Divia to go! She still had some things to work out within herself, but she would do as he asked.  
She dropped her head. "All right, Lucien. I'll go to THE RAVEN," she said quietly, looking up at him through her eyelashes.  
He lifted her head, then bent over and kissed her. "Go! Nicolas and I will return soon."  
Moriah, not wanting to encounter the other vampires, landed in the alley behind the club and entered through the back door. She stepped into the storeroom and secured the door behind her. She really did not want to go upstairs to the apartment, but she did not want be with the other vampires either.  
Once when she was human, she had hidden in the storeroom. Some men were chasing her and she ran to THE RAVEN to seek shelter with LaCroix and the others. She thought that LaCroix would kill the men, so she hide in the storeroom where she would not hear their screams, but he did not hurt them. He knew that she would not have wanted it and was afraid that she would stop keeping company with him if he did. As she looked around the storeroom, she spotted the corner where she had hidden. She slowly walked over, curled up in the corner, and closed her eyes as she had done before.  
LaCroix walked over to Nick. "Nicolas, after we dispose of Divia, would you come back with me. I think that Moriah may need you. Killing Divia has been hard on her."  
"Of course, LaCroix," Nick answered. "I would do anything for her. You know that we'll have to burn the body?"  
"Yes, I know."  
He and Nick bent down and picked up Divia, careful to keep the stake in place. They flew with her to a landfill outside of town and set her body on fire. They stayed for several hours until nothing was left but her ashes, then spread them to the wind. A feeling of relief spread through them as they flew back to THE RAVEN and Moriah.  
When they walked into the apartment, Moriah was nowhere to be found. They could feel her, so they knew that she was somewhere in the building. LaCroix leaned against the mantel and stared at Nick for a moment.  
"Nicolas, I think that I know where she is," he remarked. "I will return in a little while. Will you wait?"  
"Yes, LaCroix. I'll be here," Nick answered.  
After LaCroix walked out of the apartment, Nick walked over to the refrigerator and helped himself to one of their bottles. He picked up another bottle and some glasses, then brought them back to the living room. He knew that Moriah was going a need to drink and he had an idea that LaCroix would too. He sat on the sofa to wait. Moriah had proved tonight how much he and LaCroix meant to her. She had also showed them just how strong of a person she was. She had stayed and helped him when she could have ran. He sighed and walked over to build a fire in the fireplace.  
Curled up in her corner, Moriah thought over the events of the evening. She had seen just how strong Nick was. He just had so much turmoil inside him that it caused him to doubt himself. She would have to try to treat him with a little more understanding. LaCroix had proved how much he cared and she had almost lost him in the process. Lastly, and the part that worried her most, was her taking a life, even if it was an evil one.  
LaCroix remembered the same night that Moriah had and walked downstairs to search the storeroom for her. He found her in the same corner, curled up in the same way as he had found her that night. He knelt down and wrapped his arms around her.  
"Moriah. Little One, are you all right?" he whispered against her hair.  
Moriah lifted her hands and grabbed onto his arms. "I will be, My Love. I will be. I guess that I just need some time."  
"Have I thanked you for saving me?"  
"I don't remember. Right now all I can see is a dead child."  
"Moriah, you must accept the fact that Divia was never a child. She leapt straight from infant to woman."  
"But, Lucien, she's your daughter."  
A far away look came to his face. "So, she says. It has never been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. I chose to accept it at the time."  
Moriah sighed. "Well, it will just take a little time, but I'll be all right. I still have you, My Love. This time I stood my ground and won. I have made peace with Edward and his mother."  
He smiled. "I would still like to pay them a visit. No one should ever lay a hand on you, and they will not as long as I live."  
Moriah blinked back tears. "I never thought that I could love someone so much."  
"I am glad. I want you to be completely mine," he whispered.  
She suddenly felt better and a hint of a smile played on her lips as she turned to face him. "Completely?"  
"Yes, it is time," he said, kissing her until her fangs began to appear. "After Nicolas has left, we will discuss it further."  
She smiled and her smile warm LaCroix's heart. He loved her smiles. When she smiled at him, he thought that all things were possible, even Nick's absurd dream.  
"All right. If Nick is waiting, we should join him," she remarked, trying to stand.  
He stood and lifted her to her feet. "Yes, we should. We have an appointment after he leaves," he commented, smiling down her.  
"I love you, Lucien LaCroix," she said, placing her hands on his arm.  
There was no hesitation when he responded, "And, I love you, My Little One."  
They walked up stairs to the apartment where they found Nick waiting on the sofa. He smiled as they walked in, she looked better than he expected. He poured three glasses from one of the bottles.  
He handed two of the glasses to them. "I thought that everyone might need a little drink," he said.  
Moriah took one of the glasses and LaCroix took the other.  
"Thank you, Nick," she said, taking a sip.  
"No, thank you," he said. "You helped me throw off Divia's evil. I owe you."  
She released LaCroix's arm and walked over to hug him. "Nick, we are family or at least I would like to think so. Families help each other. You helped me when I needed it."  
He hugged her back. "Yes, you are right. We are family." He glanced over at LaCroix who had finished his glass and was setting it on the mantel. He smiled back at Moriah. "How are you doing? Are you going to be all right?"  
She kissed his cheek. "I'll be fine. It'll just take some time."  
"Just remember that Divia is the same as the man you shot that time who had murdered all those children. She was an evil that the world could do without."  
She smiled. "I'll try Nick. I promise."  
She was coping better than he had thought she would. When he glanced at LaCroix, he knew that he wanted him to leave. Since he had a need to see Natalie, he decided that it was time to leave them alone.  
"I'll be going now," he said. "You know where I am if you need me, and my door is always open to you."  
"Thank you, Nick," she said, hugging him and placing a kiss on his check again.  
He opened the door and stepped outside, but before he closed the door, LaCroix said quietly, "Nicolas, thank you for helping me watch over her."  
Knowing how hard it was for LaCroix to choke out a thank-you, Nick smiled, then closed the door.  
Moriah finished her glass, then walked over to pick up the glass that LaCroix had emptied. When she reached for the glass, he reached for her. He took her glass out of her hand and set it on the mantel next to his.  
"You can do that later," he said, pulling her close. "We have some unfinished business to discuss. Are you up to it?"  
"I think I am. I have wanted this for so long," she said, caressing his cheek.  
Placing his hands on either side of her face, he kissed her very long and very passionately.  
Opening her eyes, Moriah saw a faint glow in LaCroix's eyes. He was staring at her. "My Love," she said, putting her hand to his lips. "What are you staring at?"  
He kissed her again. "The glow in your eyes, My Little One. You are so beautiful. Are you sure that you are ready for this?"  
"Yes," she whispered, smiling. "I have been ready for a long while."  
He led her to the sofa and sat down pulling her into his lap, wrapping her up in his arms. "The reality of what it would be like without you, hit me the night when I came home and you were not here. There have been nights that you were out all night, but I knew that you would be home before sunrise. That night, I had no idea if you would ever be in this apartment again. When you put your own existence on the line for me, I knew that you were ready to be completely mine."  
Noticing that his eyes had returned to normal, Moriah kissed him and said, "Really? Well, all I can say is that, it's about time. Lucien, this is the first time, in all the years that we have been together, that I have ever had any cause to be jealous. I must admit that I don't like the feeling. The fact that she was your daughter and a child made everything much worse."  
"You have nothing to worry about, Moriah," he said, caressing her cheek. "It will not happen, again. You proved that you can take care of yourself. I am just glad that you are on my side. I would hate to have you really angry with me." He thought for a minute, then said, "You know, you could go back to Texas and teach the redneck vampires a lesson if you wanted to do so. Show them what they would have had to contend with if they had brought you across."  
A mischievous smile spread across Moriah's face. "Sounds like fun, want to come with me?"  
"You ARE a lot like me. Of course, I will come with you. I would not want you to travel alone. Besides, I would not want to miss the looks on their faces for the world," he said with a half-evil smile.  
A look of concern crossed her face. "I heard what Divia said. Are you afraid that one day, I might turn on you?"  
LaCroix leaned over and kissed her. "No, I do not think that you would ever turn on me unless I gave you a very good reason, then I would not blame you. It has been a long evening."  
"Yes, it has," Moriah said, leaning close and putting her lips near his. "Now Lucien, are you really ready?"  
LaCroix looked at her and touched the side of her face. "I think so, I almost lost you because of it. I did not realize that it meant that much to you until you brought it up several times in reference to Divia. I want you to belong to me, but only if you are sure that you are ready. Are you sure that you can handle sinking your fangs into flesh, into my flesh and drawing blood."  
"I am pretty sure," she said softly. "But we will never know unless we try."  
Moriah touched her lips to his and kissed him. This time, he did not push her away; instead, he kissed her back. He kissed her as he had done the night that he brought her across.  
On that night so long ago when it came time to bring her across, LaCroix had trouble completing the act. The red-necked vampires were beating on the barn walls where he and Moriah were hiding. He could not allow them to have her, but he was unable to bring her across either. She kissed him, trying to stir up the vampire lust, but to no avail. It was her tears of desperation that finally broke through his wall of resistance. He grabbed her and kissed her passionately and deeply. He kissed her as no man had ever kissed her before. It did the trick, his fangs appeared and he brought her across just as the other vampires broke through the walls.  
This time, there was no forcing involved, but the feelings that she felt were the same ones that she had felt that night. There was a tension building up inside her as they kissed, a tension that begged to be released.  
LaCroix pulled away for a moment and looked down into Moriah's face. He wanted to see if there was a glow in her eyes. His eyes met the bright yellow-green glow of hers. She stared up at him as he looked at her and saw that his eyes held the same yellow-green glow as hers. He brought his lips back down on hers and they kissed deeply, passionately. For the first time, Moriah did not have to stop kissing him.  
In a few minutes, Moriah began to feel strange, then she realized that her fangs were at their full length and ready. The time was almost upon her to do something that she had never done before. She had used her fangs to scare people, but never to puncture flesh. As they kissed, LaCroix ran his hands over her body. The tension inside her was growing to an almost unbearable point.  
He watched her carefully, because he wanted her to make the first move. He wanted her to decided if she was ready and that meant that she had to bite him first. He did not want to put his fangs into her neck until he was sure. One time when Moriah lifted her head and looked at him, he could see that her eyes were bright and that her fangs were at their full length. He knew that it was almost time to find out if she was ready to be his.  
He felt Moriah place her fangs against the side of his neck, so he placed his fangs against the side of hers. He wanted to make no move before she did, so he followed her move for move. It was a few seconds, before he felt her actually begin to try to puncture the skin. He had to keep remembering that she had never done anything with her fangs before, but show them. This was all new to her and it might take her a little longer than the normal time to complete the act. He just had to be patient.  
Moriah wanted the tension released, but she knew that the only way was to bite and be bitten. As her fangs were resting against LaCroix's neck, she summoned up all of her inner fortitude and let go of her inhibition, then pushed them into his neck. When he felt Moriah's fangs sink into his flesh, LaCroix began to slowly push his fangs into her neck, waiting for her, because he did not want to finish before she did. As her fangs moved farther and farther into his neck, she felt his fangs puncture her skin, pushing into her neck. Suddenly, they were both swept with a release of the tension that had built up inside them.  
The feelings that she felt were more intense than anything that she had ever experienced as a human or the night of her cross over. She found nothing distasteful about what she had just done.  
When Moriah pulled her face away from LaCroix's neck, he could see blood on her lips, trickling down towards her chin. He reached over to wipe the blood away, but she used her tongue to clean her lips and chin. This simple act startled him more than he could have imagined, because she hated the taste of blood.  
He put his hand on her check. "Well," he said quietly. "Do you still want to be my lover or do you wish me to put you back on a pedestal?"  
Moriah kissed him and he could taste the blood, his blood, on her lips. "I don't want to be put back on that pedestal. Why would you think that I would find this distasteful? I'll admit that it was a little more intense than sex between humans, but it was not distasteful or horrid. I liked it."  
For once, he had trouble hiding his emotions. Moriah saw that he was very pleased and a little excited. "You did, really? You were not repulsed?"  
"Yes, I really liked it. Now, I would not want to go out and hunt humans for food, but this use of my fangs did not repulse me, at all."  
Lying down on the sofa and pulling her into his arms, LaCroix whispered, "Well, that breaks down the last barrier between us. We are equals now."  
Moriah snuggled down into his arms. "When can we leave for Texas?"  
LaCroix laughed and smiled mischievously. "You may be nicer than I am in public, but you are just as mean and vengeful on the inside. That is why I do not understand why you have not paid a visit to Edward before now."  
Moriah thought for a moment. She really would like to see Edward again and see if he was still with his mother. She also wanted him to see her now with LaCroix. There was always a sense of pride that welled up inside her when she was seen in his company.  
LaCroix interrupted her thoughts. "You do want to see him?" he questioned.  
"I suppose that I do. I do have a bit of a mean streak in me. I really haven't thought of Edward for a long time, not since I met you. Divia's appearance woke it all up in me again."  
An evil grin appeared on his face. "Well then, I think that before we leave for Texas, we pay Edward a visit."  
She smiled. "It does sound like fun. First, Edward, then the red- necked vampires."  
"You are evil," he commented, laughing.  
"Only to those who deserve it. And, maybe you are right about Edward deserving a little scare. He was let off scot-free while I suffered for years mentally and physically. Those little 'redneck vampires' also deserve a little something, don't you think? I mean they made my life hell for a while, and they were the reason that you had to bring me across."  
LaCroix thought for a moment. "Actually, in that respect, I owe them a debt of gratitude. I would not have you with me now if they had not forced my hand. I do not know if I could or would have brought you across on my own since I had no idea just how content you would be."  
"If we had managed to remain together after the 'redneck vampires' and I was not a vampire yet, I would have found some way to make you bring me across," she said, staring down at him. LaCroix noticed as Moriah talked, her eyes began to glow a little. "By then there would have been no way, that I would have wanted to go on without you and as you can see, I'm not like most humans."  
"You definitely are not. You are not like anyone else that I know, have known, or will probably ever know. I have never seen anyone take to being and enjoy being a vampire as much as you do."  
"It is fun to have these extra powers and be able to exact a certain amount of revenge against evil. As long as I'm not forced to eat humans, I'll be just fine."  
"I repeat myself," he said, with an evil grin. "You are evil."  
"All right, I will admit it," Moriah said, laughing. "I do have an evil streak running through me, but don't tell anyone. You're the evil one, remember? I am the one that is suppose to be saving your 'black' soul."  
"I should have never let you into my life. You make me feel too good, too content."  
Moriah leaned down and kissed him. "I suppose that I could change that if you wish. Personally though, I'm ready to rest for a while. It has been long evening. First, Divia, then finally, becoming your lover," she said, lying down beside him with her head on his chest.  
"You have had a busy evening," he said, wrapping his arm around her. "You have definitely come of age as a vampire. Sleep now and we will visit Edward and plan our trip to Texas tomorrow."  
Moriah snuggled closer to LaCroix and closed her eyes. He stayed awake a little while longer, thinking over the things that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Moriah had proved that she could take care of herself and she was devoted to him. She was actually willing to allow Divia take her head before she allowed him to leave with her. When she thought that Divia was going to take him, she had actually killed her. He had no regrets that he had brought her across and he did owe those "redneck vampires" for forcing him to do so. He also owed Edward something for hurting her as deeply as he had. The more he thought about Edward, the more angry he became, causing him to vamp-out. He finally calmed himself enough to try and rest. Tightening his arms around Moriah, LaCroix closed his eyes. 


End file.
